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Can Jian Ghomeshi salvage his reputation?

A disgraced public figure fights to redeem himself, reclaiming his spot in the limelight. It’s been done by others before. Will Jian Ghomeshi, the former CBC host, be able to make a comeback?

The Star reached out to public relations and crisis management professionals to ask how, or if, Ghomeshi can restore his reputation and salvage his career.

Experts say the gravity of the allegations against Jian Ghomeshi will make it difficult, but not impossible, for him to mount a comeback. (CP/CBC)

Former New York State Gov. Eliot Spitzer with wife Silda in 2008, following revelations he was linked to a prostitution scandal. (Mary Altaffer / AP)

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton was able to restore his reputation in part because the public wasn't so shocked by his affair with Monica Lewinsky, and because he had the support of his wife Hillary. (Evan Agostini / AP File Photo)

“I would never say it’s impossible to rehabilitate your reputation, but this is very close,” says Dan Robertson, a partner at Toronto’s Indent Communications. “I think (his future) is ruined.”

In the three-and-a-half weeks since the CBC fired him and allegations first emerged, Ghomeshi has been dropped by both his crisis management company and publicity firm. His agent, publisher and former bandmates have also distanced themselves, as have prominent members of Canada’s arts community, many of whom guested on his show, Q.

To date, nine women and one man have told the Star and other media they were choked, hit or sexually harassed by Ghomeshi. Three women have gone to Toronto police, which is now investigating.

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Ghomeshi maintained in an earlier Facebook post that he was into BDSM and rough sex and insisted that all his sexual interactions were consensual. He said he planned to confront the allegations directly and has since launched a $55-million wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the CBC.

The gravity of the accusations, and the number of alleged victims, make the Ghomeshi scandal unlike many other scandals that ensnare public figures, says Robertson.

“It’s what makes this unique and very, very challenging.”

Experts say the best approach to handling a crisis means confessing, apologizing and then disappearing until it blows over. And whatever tactics Ghomeshi uses to make amends — for instance, seeking rehabilitative help — will have to be part of a bigger, long-term strategy that could take years.

“If he were to ask for my advice,” offers Robertson, “I would disabuse him of the misconception that there’s a quick and easy fix — there isn’t — and that his reputation can be restored through some kind of legal process. It can’t.”

American crisis management consultant Eric Dezenhall thinks a comeback is possible “but far into the future and probably in a much smaller platform.”

“We are living in a time when the world is more forgiving of dark behaviour, but not immediately,” emails the CEO of Dezenhall Resources in Washington, D.C., and author of Glass Jaw: A Manifesto for Defending Fragile Reputations in an Age of Instant Scandal.

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“Too many famous people want drive-thru redemption.”

Dezenhall’s advice is simple: Ghomeshi, who hasn’t been heard from since his Facebook posts on Oct. 26 and 30, needs to stay away for a while.

“Think about your situation. Think about whether you really believe you have a problem. If you don’t, that says something. If you do, then work on it privately. Somebody in this situation has to get right with himself before he can get right with the world. Failing that, there’s always the option of showcasing one’s weaknesses and becoming a radio shock jock.”

Bill Walker, president of Midtown PR in Toronto, also says Ghomeshi needs to deal with his crisis on a personal level.

“This is not something you spin. It’s too serious of an issue for women around the world,” says Walker.

“I don’t think he should come out and talk publicly anymore at all, until he’s taken a very long and deep look inside and figured out what it is that he stands for, what are his beliefs, and do his behaviours reconcile themselves with those beliefs. And does he need help of any kind?”

Jane Shapiro, senior vice-president at Hill + Knowlton Strategies, says the first step is to lay low as the scandal unfolds, which Ghomeshi seems to be doing. That’s because there are too many unknowns: Will new information emerge? Will charges be laid? Will there be a trial?

Next is to let the incident fade from public consciousness before attempting a comeback. And finally, change the way people perceive you.

Former media mogul Conrad Black didn’t try to fix his reputation as he fought fraud and obstruction of justice charges. He disappeared from public life into a U.S. federal prison for three years and while there was a model inmate, working on a history book and helping others with their studies.

Ghomeshi’s path will likely be long and arduous, says Shapiro. In part, that’s because the scandal has unexpectedly sparked a much broader national discussion on sexual assault and violence against women, which extends far beyond Ghomeshi or the actual allegations. Take, for instance, the Twitter hashtag #BeenRapedNeverReported, which quickly became a phenomenon with women worldwide sharing their own stories of sexual assault.

“The fact that it’s provoked this larger discussion has made it a much more emotional topic and one that is taking up more public space and public conversation,” says Shapiro. “Sometimes we look at these (scandals) and they’re so remote from our lives or our situations that we don’t care that much. . . . This is one that touches a lot of people personally.”

A comeback will be tough because the public feels duped by Ghomeshi, explains Kenneth Evans, managing partner of APEX Public Relations.

There’s a jarring disconnect between the public persona Ghomeshi cultivated — one of a progressive, urbane, artsy, quasi-intellectual — and the character that has emerged since allegations surfaced.

“We think everybody deserves a second chance but when you have such a departure between what we understand you to be and what we now understand is your true character, that makes the comeback road very, very steep.”

The public was also deceived by U.S. president Bill Clinton when he lied in 1998 about an affair with Monica Lewinsky, yet he survived the scandal, stayed in office and has maintained his status as an influential statesman. But with Clinton, the public wasn’t all that shocked by the dalliance, given that Gennifer Flowers had reportedly had an affair with him years earlier. Plus the support of wife Hillary, and other close confidantes and associates, was crucial.

Similarly, Eliot Spitzer, the former New York governor who in 2008 was linked to a prostitution ring, famously confessed and apologized, also with his wife by his side.

In sharp contrast, no one is rallying to Ghomeshi’s side. He seems to be “a very isolated and lonely individual right now,” says Evans.

Since Ghomeshi hasn’t come forward with a mea culpa, Evans thinks the window for a second chance is quickly closing, adding: “It may be almost shut.”

Confession, and sincere apology, came from late-night talk show host David Letterman, who in 2009 came clean about affairs with female employees after someone tried to blackmail him. That same year, golfer Tiger Woods confessed, apologized and sought treatment for sex addiction after cheating on his wife with dozens of women.

Walker of Midtown PR says he was surprised, while researching his book Crisis Communications in the 24/7 Social Media World, by the public’s “enormous capacity for forgiveness.”

“Everybody loves a comeback story. They know that public figures, just like private figures, make mistakes. And people can relate to that.”

But they can’t relate to people in privileged positions of power who bully others and intimidate women, he says.

So does he think Ghomeshi can come back?

“The odds are very, very long,” he says. “There is a remote chance that if he does the work and comes back and talks openly and transparently about what he’s been through, how he views the things he’s done in the past, and how he views his life going forward, there probably is a remote chance for him to be rehabilitated. And forgiven.”

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